A vast majority of up to 90 per cent of businesses in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are facing significant roadblocks to their digital transformation initiatives, a survey report unveiled on Monday said.

The survey conducted by Dell EMC and released at Gitex 2018 revealed the top five barriers to digital transformation. These include data privacy and cybersecurity concerns (42 per cent), lack of the right in-house skill sets and expertise (30.7 per cent), information overload (29.3 per cent), regulation or legislative changes (28.7 per cent) and lack of budget and resources (26.7 per cent).

The Dell Technologies Digital Transformation Index, which was completed in collaboration with Intel, maps digital transformation progress of mid to large-sized companies and examines the digital hopes and fears of business leaders.

Based on responses from business leaders in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the survey found that only four per cent of these businesses see themselves as digital leaders while 87 per cent agree or strongly agree that digital transformation initiatives need to be even more wide-spread throughout their organisations.

Mohammed Amin, senior vice-president, Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Dell EMC, said the inputs from the UAE and Saudi Arabia paint a picture of a region that is well-aware of the criticality of transformation, and vocal about the need for more widespread transformational initiatives across their organisations.

"While the challenges ahead are acknowledged and focus areas are prioritised accordingly, the overall view towards technology and its potential for the region remains optimistic."

Research indicates that businesses are taking steps to overcome barriers. Only 32 per cent strongly agree they will disrupt rather than get disrupted within five years. Although progress in these areas is slow in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the survey found that 52 per cent of respondents are using digital technologies to accelerate new product/services development while 48 per cent are striving to develop the right skills sets and expertise in-house, such as teaching staff how to code.

Around 46 per cent of businesses are building security and privacy into all devices, applications and algorithms while 44 per cent are embracing agile software development.

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